Hatch for railway car roofs



Jan. 26, 1943. A. CAMPBELL HATCH FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS Filed March 21, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR:

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ATTORNEY Jan. 26, 1943. A. CAMPBELL 2,309,237

imcn FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS Filed March 21, 1941 4 Sheets She et 2 ZIaNVENTORp 9. 1%

A TTORNE Y.

Jan. 26, I943. CAMPBELL HATCH FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS Filed Maz ch 21, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR: I Ln. A

ATTORNEY;

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HATCH FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS Application March 21, 1941', Serial No. 384,593

5 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved hatch construction providing for access through decks or roofs of containers. It has more particular application to the roofs of railway cars of the covered bulk commodity hopper type.

One of the objects of my invention isto provide a hatch structure which can be installed and oined with the car roof entirely by welding and wherein the joint so formed will be completely sealed, both int'eriorly and exteriorly, to eliminate corrosion.

Anotherobject is the provision ofa hatch structure which can be readily and easily installed in the car roof without special fitting or machine work being necessary to assemble the parts.

Another object is the provision of a hatch structure and a swing door or cover therefor, formed insuch manner that water cannot enter the hatch opening around the cover even when exposed to hard, driving rains.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the following description and appended claims in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig; l is a top plan view of the roof of a covered bulk commodity car showing the disposition of hatches with respect to said roof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through half of the width of the car roof and one of the hatches, and taken substantially on the line 2-'2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar transverse sectionto'that of Fig. 2 on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, andshowing the hatch in elevation;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the hatches showing the cover thereof in closed and locked position;

Fig. 5 is a View in end elevation of the hatch structure shown in Fig; 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section on line li--t of Fig. 4, through one side of the hatch structure; and

Fig. 7 is-a similar section on line 1-1 of Fig. 4 through the opposite side.

In the present structure, the car roof is made up of metal plates or sheets A, disposed transversely of the length of the car and butt-welded immediately above the carlines I. This roof, however, is representative of any type of car roof in which hatches are provided for access to the interior of the car. A running-board 2 is shown as extending lengthwise centrally of the car roof. InF-ig 1 a number of hatches are shown, but the disposition of these hatches 'forms no part of my present invention except in the respect that in cars of 3 this character itis necessary to place some of the hatches appreciably close to the runningboard, and with the. usual rectangular type of hatch structure the proximity of the hatch to the running-board fosters the accumulation of dirt and moisture which results in corrosion. I therefore prefer to make the hatch oval-shaped so as to facilitate the draining or shedding of water from around the hatch margins.

In the location where the hatch is to be placed, the roof sheet A is provided'with an oval-shaped opening 3, the margin of which is surrounded by the inner and outer rings B and C, respectively. The rings comprise the hatch structure and extend upwardly above the roof the desired height.

The inner and outer rings have outwardly extending flanges 5 and 6,. respectively, between which the roof plate is sandwiched; These flanges are secured to the roof plate A by continuous fillet welding 1' and 1 extending entirely around the margins of the flanges of both the inner and outer rings. In assembling the structure, the inner ring is telescoped within the outer ring in concentric relation thereto, as shown more clearlyin Figs. 6 and 7, and the flanges of the two rings are pressed together with the roof plate therebetween. The welding I and I is then completed and the clamping pressure can then be removed. This construction is particularly strong and completely sealed against the entrance of moisture between the flanges and'roof plate, thus minimizing the possibility of corrosion. The welding l and 1 forms the seal to prevent theentrance of moisture into the joint from the exterior of the hatch, and, since. as hereinafter described the rings B and C themselves are joined together by welding, an interior moistureproof seal is provided. In addition, the structure avoids completely the use of rivets securing the hatch to the roof.

The inner ring B extends upwardly through the opening 3 of the roof plate, and within and concentrically with respect to the lower half portion 8 of the outer ring. The upper margin of this ring B meets a shoulder 9 formed within the ring C by offsetting the lower wall portion 8 of the ring C with respect to the upper wall portion IQ of said ring. This forms between the upper margins of the ring B and the shoulder 9 an annular interior channel or groove for the reception of welding metal H to integrally join and seal the two rings at a point intermediatethe height of the hatch structure.

The ring B and the upper wall portion ID of the outer ring are in substantially vertical alignment so as to provide a smooth, unobstructed, interior face in the hatch structure for the entire height thereof. The lower wall portion 8 of the outer ring is angularly disposed or sloped with respect to the ring B so as to provide a space I2 between the two rings which provides sufiicient clearance for the easy assembly of the parts without careful fitting, regardless of irregularities in the manufacture of said parts.

The upper end of the wall portion H) of the ring C is provided with an integral outwardly and downwardly extending rim flange which supports the door or cover D in closed position. The upper surface l5 of this rim is relatively broad and flat, so as to provide a sufiioient area of support for the door. This rim flange is turned angularly downwardly to form an inverted annular V-shaped channel or groove ll of appreciable depth between the wall H3 and the flange, and the purpose of this construction is to provide a splashback to divert water downwardly away from the cover when the hatch is subjected to hard, driving rains.

The door D is preferably in the form of a flat, oval-shaped, metal plate having a deep, downwardly turned, peripheral flange or rim It conforming to and embracing the outer face of the rim flange l5. In order to guard further against the entrance of water between the door flange l8 and the rim l5 during hard, driving rains, I provide a V-shaped groove or channel IS in the outer face of said rim flange. The upper face of this channel or groove is substantially horizontally disposed in such manner that the rain entering the channel around the margins of the door flange 8 with any force will be diverted horizontally toward the interior face of the flange I8 and will drain downwardly along this face, thus preventing water from entering the space above said channel.

The door is hinged at one side to swing upwardly away from the hatch opening, and is locked in closed position by locking mechanism disposed at the side opposite the hinges. The hinge butts are formed as brackets integrally with the hatch ring C, and are arranged with spaced walls through which the hinge bolts 2'5 extend. The hinge members 21 on the door are positioned between these spaced walls, and in the present structure are formed as flat metal straps which overlie the top surface and flange [8 of the door and are secured to the door by welding around the margins, as indicated at 23. The hinge straps are formed as loops 29 for the hinge bolts 26, and the end portions 36 are doubled back upon the straps and welded thereto. The hinge bolts are removably held in place by suitable cotter pins 3!.

The looking or latching mechanism for the door includes a horizontally disposed locking bar 33 disposed along the outer side of the hatch ring C below the rim flange l5 and in parallel relation to the axis of the hinges. The locking bar is rotatably mounted in bearing brackets 34 which are integrally formed with the hatch ring C. The locking bar carries locking or latching fingers 35 which are adapted to be swung by said bar into and out of engagement with the top side of the door so that they will exert pressure downwardly upon the door to hold it snugly down in contact with the surface IB of the rim IS. The latch fingers are formed of strap metal, the lower ends of which are formed into U-shaped portions 36 which embrace the locking bar 33 and are permanently secured thereto by welding. The straps extend upwardly around the door flange and are then turned at right angles to form the portions 31 which overli the door. When in locking position, the overlying portions 31 bear upon wear plates 33 welded to the top surface of the door and thus act to bear downwardly upon the door and positively hold it in firm contact with the rim it of the hatch ring.

At one end, the locking bar 33 is turned at right angles to provide a suitable operating handle 39 by which it may be rotated to swing the locking fingers into and out of engagement with the door. This operating handle is also utilized as a means for locking the bar against rotation in the closed position of the door. A suitable bracket 49 is secured by bolts or otherwise to the hatch ring C and is provided with two upstanding walls 4! spaced apart to provide a slot into which the handle 39 enters when. the latch fingers are in locking position. A removable locking pin 42 is inserted through holes 44 in the bracket walls 4i and is positicned above the handle 39 to lock it against rotation. .The locking pin 42 is preferably in the form of a key having a tailpiece 43, and the openings at in the brackets 4| are elongated and are directed upwardly to form keyways for the tail piece. The locking bolt is thus inserted through the openings 44 and rotated to bring the tailpiece out of alignment with said openings, thus preventing the bolt from being displaced endwise.

The tailpiece has a slot 45 for the reception of a suitable seal to prevent the unauthorized opening of the hatch. The locking bolt is attached to a chain 46 anchored to the hatch. ring so that it may not become lost.

The locking fingers are spaced apart substantially the same distance as the hinges, and these fingers and the hinges are thus in transverse alignment of the door. In order to reinforce the door, I provide reinforcing angle members 41 on the inner face of the door in substantial alignment with the hinges and locking fingers. As shown more clearly in Fig. 4:, these reinforcing members may be in the form of angles suitably welded along their margins 48 to the door plate. In addition to these reinforcing members, a center cross reinforcing angle 49 is extended between the members 41 and is secured by welding to the inner surface of the door.

A handle bar 50 is welded to the upper side of the door to provide convenient means for swinging the door into and out of position. In the present structure, I weld small plates 5! on the car roof adjacent the hatches to provide bearing plates for the handle bar 50 when the door is in open position.

I claim:

1. In a hatch structure of the class described, the combination of an annular member having a hatch opening therethrough and having an outwardly and downwardly directed rim flange spaced from the body of the annular member to form an inverted water-diverting splash channel, said rim flange also having an annular secondary splash channel formed in its outer face adjacent its lower margin, and a door adapted when in closed position to cover said hatch opening and comprising a body portion having a downturned marginal flange enclosing the said rim flange and overlying said secondary splash channel.

2. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a car roof member having an opening therein, a hatch ring upstanding from said roof member in axial alignment with said opening and having a base flange seated upon said roof member and welded thereto around its margin, an inner ring member extending upwardly through said opening and telescoped within said ring member and welded to said ring member around its upper margin, said inner ring member having a lateral flange underlying said roof member, said flange being secured to said roof member by welding around its margin, and a hinged door covering the upper end of said ring member.

3. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a roof member having a hatch opening therein and a hatch structure upstanding from said roof member and having a passage therethrough in alignment with the opening, said hatch structure comprising an annular member having a flange at its lower end seated upon the roof member around said opening and secured at its margin by welding to the roof member, said annular member having an interior shoulder intermediate its height, an inner ring member extending upwardly through said opening and into said annular member with its upper margin adjacent said interior shoulder and welded thereto, said inner ring member having a laterally disposed annular flange underlying said roof member around the opening, said flange being secured at its margins by welding to the roof member.

4. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a roof member having a hatch opening therein and a hatch structure upstanding from said roof member and having a passage therethrough in alignment with the opening, said hatch structure comprising an annular member having a flange at its lower end seated upon the roof member around said opening and secured at its margin by welding to the roof member, said annular member having an interior shoulder intermediate its height, an inner ring member extending upwardly through said opening and into said annular member with its upper margin adjacent said interior shoulder and welded thereto, said inner ring member having a laterally disposed annular flange underlying said roof member around the opening, said flange being secured at its margins by welding to the roof member, said annular member having at its upper end an outwardly and downwardly turned flange spaced from the wall of the annular member to form an inverted splash channel, a door for said annular member hinged to the exterior thereof and having a marginal flange fitting said outwardly and downwardly turned flange, and locking mechanism for locking the door in closed position.

5. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a car roof member having a hatch opening therein, an annular ring member upstanding from the roof member and having a hatchway in axial alignment with said opening, said annular member having a base flange seated upon and welded at its margins to said roof member and having its wall portion sloped upwardly from said base member to a point intermediate its height and at that point having an offset to form an interior shoulder, the wall portion of said annular member of said shoulder being vertical, an inner ring member positioned within the sloped wall portion of said annular member with its upper margin adjacent said shoulder and secured thereto by welding, said ring member having its wall portion in vertical alignment with the upper vertical wall portion of the annular member and having at its lower end a laterally turned flange underlying the roof member and having its margin secured thereto by welding.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

